Area Memorial Day services planned

Area communities are planning on holding Memorial Day services this weekend.

Todd G. Higdon

Area communities are planning on holding Memorial Day services this weekend.

At 10 a.m., Saturday, at the Seneca Cemetery, the public is invited to their Memorial Day service, which will include the Neosho High School's AFJROTC participating in part of the event.

Then on Monday, two Memorial Day services are being held, with the first at Neosho's IOOF Cemetery at 9 a.m. and then at 10 a.m. at Stella's Veterans Memorial. Veterans and the public are invited to attend.

Neosho

"(Memorial Day) is the opportunity for the survivors to come and show their respects," said Bryce Langley, an organizer of the event. "And we actually give each and every one of the attendees the opportunity to stand up, open mic and talk about their experiences, the sacrifice that their loved one had made and a time of healing."

Mo. State Rep. Bill Reiboldt will be the keynote speaker.

Prior to the service, Langley's AFJROTC cadets have been working to help recognize our fallen veterans, by placing small American flags on the graves at Neosho IOOF Cemetery, Gibson Cemetery, Neosho Memorial Cemetery, Hazel Green Cemetery and Elm Springs Cemetery.

"My kids (ROTC cadets) consider this one of the highlights of their entire year," he said. "Blood, sweat and tears, two full days before, out in the heat, trying to get little flag sticks through the hard, rock covered ground."

Stella

Vietnam veteran Bill Beckett, an organizer of the event, says Memorial Day is a way to honor all veterans.

"We do this every year in honor of our veterans that are not only serving, but those that have fallen in service that are no longer with us," Beckett said. "Everything that we do over here is to honor all of our veterans, past, present and future. Our memorial over here is for all veterans, it is not for just local veterans, and it is for any veteran in the United States."

The 10 a.m. service will include the lowering and the raising of the flags, prayer, playing of taps and a keynote speaker.

Desert Storm veteran Glenn Fretz will be the guest speaker.

"Glenn is a disabled army veteran and a graduate of Neosho High School," he said. "The American Legion Post 163 Auxiliary is supporting him in a National Veterans Wheelchair game, being held in Tampa, Fla., July 13-18. The National Veterans Wheelchair is the largest annual supporting event for wheelchair athletes in the United States."